


A Matter of Hearts

by beadedslipper



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-24
Updated: 2013-11-24
Packaged: 2018-01-02 11:24:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1056191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beadedslipper/pseuds/beadedslipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A heart is a powerful thing.  So is true love.  Post 3x08.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Matter of Hearts

As Henry’s limp body fell to the ground, the power of the heart of the truest believer rushed through Peter Pan’s veins, rippling across his muscles and filling his lungs. He could feel it rejuvenate his tired limbs, weighed down by centuries. He felt light, weightless. His mind was as electrified as his body, racing with new ideas and games, brighter and even more ingenious than before. He could believe again and Gods did it feel good. He rose into the air from the sheer, giddy force of it.

Well done boy. Now we will live. Forever young. Forever powerful. Forever free.

This sibilant hiss of the Shadow danced across his mind and he shivered, a pleased smile blooming across his lips at its cool caress.

“Yes. YES!” He yelled, throwing his fist in the air and releasing a triumphant crow to echo through the cavern. He had succeeded. All had gone according to plan and now he was immortal and all powerful in a way even his son hadn’t achieved.

So wrapped up in his triumph was he that he failed to notice the faint quiver coming from the small box sitting on the rock.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As he was swallowed up by the magic of Pandora’s Box, Rumpelstiltskin fought against the shock of Pan’s betrayal. He didn’t have time to be magically imprisoned right now. Despite the nasty vertigo that comes from having every atom of one’s body compressed, he managed to catch the edge of Pandora’s box as it closed. It was barely a crack, a fingernail’s worth of space but it was enough. As soon as the dizziness settled he worried at the opening determinedly, knowing that every moment wasted was a moment closer to Pan’s triumph and Henry’s death.

He clawed with tooth and nail, his muscles straining while his mind ached with the effort required to hold the soporific magic of the box at bay. After what seemed an eternity he had barely managed to make a crack wide enough to fit two hands into. He cursed lowly. This was taking too long. 

Unfortunately truer words had never been spoken. Just as he rallied to try again a wave of magic rocked the world, like seasickness and sorrow. Distantly he heard the keening despair of his family and he knew that he was too late.

Cold rage filled his breast. With a strength he didn’t know he had he dug both hands into the opening he had created and ripped with every fiber of his being.

As the world rocked again, he let the magic sweep him up, turn him topsy-turvy, and carry him free.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neal clutched the prone body of his son, rocking back and forth as tears trickled down his face. Frissions of heat came and went across his back and there was a lump so high in his throat that he could barely breathe. Emma crouched beside him, staring incomprehendingly into space, but he couldn’t spare a thought even to comfort her. His son was gone. His son was gone. He had barely found out about Henry and now all that was left was this dry husk. It was more than Neal could stand.

“Goddammit.” He choked. “Goddammit Henry. Why didn’t you listen to us?” 

A clatter yanked him out of his stupor and he looked up to see Pandora’s box rattling around on the ground. It sluggishly bled purple smoke that crept towards them, gathering in a bigger and bigger cloud only to deposit a gasping, quivering Rumpelstiltskin. As Neal stared in confusion, Rumpelstiltskin clambered to his feet and looked around disorientedly.

“Papa?”

Rumpelstiltskin’s eyes snapped to Neal’s before falling to Henry’s prostrate form. Neal followed his gaze, his heart breaking anew. Fresh tears filled his eyes as he looked back to Rumpelstiltskin.

“Papa…”

Rumpelstiltskin stared, wide-eyed, before his eyebrows snapped down and a look of such thunderous fury came over him that Neal recoiled, clutching Henry’s body closer still. Like an oncoming train, Rumpelstiltskin stalked towards them in long strides, covering the distance between them in moments.

“Move!” He barked, skidding to his knees in their small circle of heartbreak. “Move out of the way!” He ordered, trying to pull Henry’s body from Neal’s arms.

“What is your problem Gold?” Regina’s strident voice snapped. Rumpelstiltskin ignored her completely, shoving Neal out of the way bodily and laying Henry gently on the ground. His entire focus was for his grandson and Neal struggled to understand what was going on through the haze of sorrow. He watched as if from a distance as his father gazed down at his son. 

Rumpelstiltskin reached out, skimming a single finger along Henry’s brow and smoothing out a line of pain there. “I’m so sorry my boy. I’m so sorry. I’m here now. I’ll make it better.”

He took a deep breath, sitting back on his heels and squaring his shoulders. The air around Rumpelstiltskin and Henry became heavy with power, pushing the rest of them away.

“What are you doing?” Neal croaked.

“…You know, believe it or not I came here ready for this. You were dead. It was the least I could do to honor your memory. But now that it’s here I can’t help wishing we had more time.” Rumpelstiltskin whispered, gazing at Henry.

“What are you talking about?” Neal asked.

“I was a terrible father. I know I was. I failed you so many times. Before you were even born I failed you. I spent my life looking for you so I could make it right, only to fail again. No more. Finally, for once, I can be the father you deserve.” He continued, almost as though he was talking to himself rather than to Neal.

His eyes seemed to clear, really focusing on Neal for the first time since he came out of Pandora’s box. The look in them made Neal afraid. It was desperate…resigned…dangerous. “When you get back…tell Belle I loved her. I always did.”

Then, without further preamble, he drew himself up, extended his arm, and plunged it into his chest.

“Rumpel!” Regina protested.

“What the hell Gold?!” Emma exclaimed in shock and dismay.

For his part, Neal could only gape as Rumpelstiltskin drew his still-beating heart from within his body with a groan of pain. It glowed, pulsing wetly in his palm. He brought it to his lips, whispering so low that Neal never would have heard it if he weren’t completely riveted.

“I do willingly give this heart to another though it mean my last breath. I do this for my family. The family I failed.” His eyes darted to Baelfire. “The family I never knew I had.” To Emma. “The family I didn’t think I could want.” To Regina. “Do weigh this sacrifice and find it worthy.”

With those words he gently placed his heart on Henry’s small, still chest. He laid his hand atop it and pressed down. Slowly, painstakingly, it melted into Henry’s body until it was swallowed whole and Rumpelstiltskin’s hand rested flat on his grandson’s torso.

Rumpelstiltskin released a heavy breath, seeming to sink into himself. “It is done.” He murmured. He shuddered, stiffening, before collapsing to the ground.

“Papa!” Neal exclaimed, lunging forward and shaking his father’s shoulders. “Papa, wake up! What did you do? Papa!”

A heavy gasp came from behind him, followed by a joyous yell from Emma.

“Henry!”

Neal turned slowly, hope thick in his throat at the same time that despair settled in his stomach, to see Emma clutching their wide-eyed, gasping son in her arms like he was the very tether holding her to earth.

He turned slowly back to his father, lying on the cold ground, all but forgotten. Rumpelstiltskin had a tiny smile on his lips. Neal smiled back. He smiled so hard he cried.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“No! NO!” An enraged scream reverberated through the skull cavern. They yelled in dismay as Peter Pan charged out of the sky towards them. Emma lunged to cover Henry while Regina let loose a ball of fire that Pan flicked carelessly out of the way. Neal was left to stare in numb shock for the second time in as many minutes as someone rudely interrupted his grief while he knelt over a dead family member.

Pan landed mid-stride, stumbling forward to fall on top of Rumpelstiltskin’s corpse. He draped himself over the shell of the Dark One, keening and tearing his hair, eyes rolling in his head.

“No…no…no…” Pan sobbed. “Oh laddie, what have you done?”

“Hey!” Neal barked, finally finding his voice. “Get off my father you son of a bitch! You have no right to cry over him…”

“No right?!” Pan snapped, wild eyes shooting daggers at them all. “Is that any way to talk to your Grandfather?”

“What are you raving about you crazy fucker?”

“I’m your Grandfather you fool. Rumpelstiltskin is my son and you’re his son. You see how this works?”

“Bullshit.” Emma spat, still wrapped around Henry. “You’ve lied to us at every turn, why the hell would we believe you now?”

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe me.” Pan spat. “My son is dead…my Rumpel…oh my boy…” Pan collapsed again over Rumpelstiltskin’s chest.

Neal clambered to his feet, angry now. He shoved Pan’s shoulder. “I said, get off my father.” He hissed.

Pan glared. “Why should I? He was mine long before he was yours.”

“Because, even if you’re telling the truth, you’re the reason he’s dead.”

Pan recoiled as if slapped. “How dare you speak to me that way?” He growled dangerously.

Neal ignored him utterly, really getting worked up now. “Why do you even care anyway? You kidnapped your own grandson. You manipulated your great-grandson into committing suicide. I wonder why papa never mentioned you. Maybe this family has a history of fathers who abandon their sons for power, huh? So why would you suddenly care that he’s dead?!”

Pan stood up, stepping toe to toe with his grandson. “Oh yes, and you’re so much better than I are you? I’ll admit, Rumpel wasn’t the greatest at reconciliation but I saw how he tried. I knew from the moment he arrived on this island the lengths he was willing to go to rescue your son. And what do you do when he finds you alive? What do you do when he helps you rescue Henry? You shun him. You disown him. You trap him and leave him unprotected for my merry men to find. Oh poor Baelfire, you loved your father so much…but only when you felt like it!”

“Why you…” Neal drew his arm back, rage etched on his face and more than ready to take out in flesh the endless pain Pan was responsible for.

“Um…he’s not dead.” Emma’s incredulous voice diffused their escalating fury.

“What?” Neal asked, turning to look at her like she was insane.

“Look.” She pointed at Rumpelstiltskin. “His chest is moving.”

Sure enough, Rumpelstilstkin’s chest was shallowly moving up and down, somehow working even without a heart.

“Impossible.” Pan breathed, wide-eyed. “He gave his heart up. He transferred his life to Henry’s. It’s impossible.”

“Well,” Regina interrupted, speaking up for the first time, “Not if his heart already belonged to someone else before he gave it to Henry.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It happened in the middle of a town meeting. One minute Belle was animatedly discussing the merits of a town watch. The next minute it felt like the lovechild of a donkey and a lightning bolt had kicked her in the chest. 

She screamed, collapsing to the linoleum and clutching her chest. Dully she could hear the dismayed voices of her friends but it was hard to get around the mind-numbing agony in her heart. She struggled to focus on something, the sound of Archie’s soothing voice, the flicker of the fluorescent lights above, but it was no use. Her last thought was of Rumpel’s voice calling her name as everything went black.

When she opened her eyes she was in a wide open space, nowhere in particular and bathed in gentle lavender light. Early morning mists rolled over the ground, caressing her ankles. There were no buildings, no wind, just the empty and the quiet. She rose cautiously to her feet, looking around her for some sign as to why she was here. The pain wasn’t gone, though it was significantly muted so that she barely noticed it.

A faint sigh drew her attention to a figure lying on the ground. She would recognize that silhouette anywhere, whether it was wrapped in leathers or a tailored suit.

With a gasp she rushed to his side, falling to her knees. “Rumpel!” She cried in joy, carding a hand through his hair and clutching one of his to her chest. “You’re alive!”

“Belle?” He breathed, looking at her like she was a dream. “Is it really you?”

“Of course it’s me silly! How are you here?! How is the mission going? When are you coming back? Have you found Henry yet?”

His eyes shuttered, memory flashing over his face when she mentioned Henry’s name. “Yes…we did find Henry…” He hesitated.

Belle frowned, blue eyes shining with concern. “What? What is it? What’s wrong?” She winced, rubbing absentmindedly at the small pain in her chest.

He sighed, brown eyes sad. “Oh Belle. It’s a very long story and I’m tired. The others will tell you about it when they come back.” He lifted a hand to the side of her face, burrowing his fingers into her curls. She almost purred in pleasure. He drew her down until he could touch his lips to hers. She responded instantly, more than happy to spend long moments sharing his breath and reveling in the caress of his tongue. She had missed his touch so much, but it wasn’t enough to completely distract her from what he had said. She reluctantly pulled away, brow furrowing in suspicion.

“What do you mean ‘when they come back’?”

He flinched, turning pleading eyes to her. “Henry was dying Belle. Actually, he was dead. There was only one way to save him. He needed a life so…I gave him mine.”

Belle recoiled, her mouth dropping open in shock. Shock was quickly followed by anger.

“No! No! You’re not dead!”

“Belle…”

The pain in her chest was increasing, enough so that she really couldn’t ignore it anymore but ignore it she did. Her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head determinedly.

“You’re not! You’re not dead!”

“Belle, please…”

“Don’t! Don’t you dare say it Rumpelstiltskin! You’re not dead. You’re here with me now and we’re both going to wake up and you’re going to come home and everything is going to be fine!” She flinched, a sharp pain shooting through her. “Gods damn it! Why does my chest hurt so much?”

Rumpel’s eyes widened. “What? Your chest hurts? So that’s how…”

“How what?” She asked. “How what Rumpelstiltskin?” She growled when he hesitated again. She did not have patience for dodgy half-truths meant to protect her right now.

He sighed. “Well…I’m your true love. And you’re mine. We’ve found each other and professed our mutual love as you know. In terms of magic, that essentially means we’ve exchanged our hearts, bound them together with a magical tether that spans distance and time. The link my heart has to yours is keeping me alive right now. It’s what’s allowing me to be here, talking to you and telling you all of this and it’s probably what’s drawn you into this dream…vision…whatever.”

Belle brightened. “That’s wonderful! So our love will keep you alive. Perfect!”

He hesitated, eyes darting away from her and she deflated. “It’s not that simple, is it?”

“No, I’m afraid not. One heart is not meant to sustain two minds, not long term. It’s why your chest hurts so much. It will get worse and worse for you until I truly die. You…you have to let me go Belle.”

“What? No! Absolutely not!”

“Belle, you have to…”

“Rumpelstiltskin, I swear if you do not stop speaking right this moment I will let all your tenants live rent-free.” She threatened.

He clapped his mouth shut. A heavy silence fell between them, both fidgeting with the awkwardness of the situation. Pain shot through Belle again, sharper than ever before and she groaned, folding over on herself and rubbing the area over her heart. That’s when an idea occurred to her.

“You said you gave Henry your heart so that he could live right?” She asked, looking at Rumpelstiltskin intently.

He looked at her sideways, suspicious. “Yes…”

“So, if you got a heart you would live too, right?”

“Again, yes, in theory. Belle what are you thinking?”

“You have a family now Rumpel. A great big family. You could reconcile with Baelfire, build a relationship with Henry. Without you, I don’t really have anyone. Take my heart.” She offered, blue eyes shining earnestly.

“No. No Belle.” He replied, shaking his head emphatically.

“Why not?!” She cried in exasperation. “It makes sense and it’s not like I mind. I’ll give you my heart gladly Rumpelstiltskin. It’s already yours anyway.”

Rumpelstiltskin scrambled to find a plausible reason, any excuse, because he believed her. She would do this. Once she put her mind to something nothing could stop her. And, God’s forgive him, he was too selfish to live knowing she was dead.

“It…the heart…it has to be from a family member.” He lied. “As much as I love you Belle, we’re not family. Not officially. We never had the chance to be. Though…if I had come back…I would have asked you one day Belle. I would have been honored to have you as my wife. We would build a family of our own…give Bae some little brothers and sisters to spoil…we would have had our happy ending Belle, I promise.”

Both their eyes filled with tears at the picture he painted. Belle could see it all, a choir singing as she walked towards him in a sun dappled meadow. He looked dapper and dignified in his fitted tuxedo and his eyes were only for her. Years later there would be a daughter with his fine hair and her blue eyes, a son with her smile and his nose. They ran around the back yard of their pink house, chasing each other, their screeches of laughter filling the air with music. Emma and Baelfire stood to the side, cooing over their own newborn, while Henry, well into adolescence, kept a watchful eye on his young aunt and uncle. Belle and Rumpelstiltskin watched it all from the back porch, intertwined with his arm around her shoulders and hers wrapped around his waist. There were hints of grey in her hair and he leaned on his cane a little heavier than before but they were still just as in love as the day he sent her for straw and that would never change.

“Oh Rumpel…” She wept, falling forward to bury her face in his chest. He wrapped an arm around her, softly petting her hair.

“So, you see, even if you had done it, it wouldn’t have worked. I’m sorry darling, but…perhaps it’s for the best. They need you in Storybrooke.”

“But I need you.” She whispered. She stiffened, curling into a ball and crying out when a shock of agony ripped through her.

“Belle? Belle look at me please.”

Slowly she raised herself up, focusing on Rumpel.

“We don’t have much time left dearest.” He told her, brown eyes shining with unshed tears. He brushed her hair away from her face, drinking her in. He smiled softly. “At least I got to see you, one last time.”

She sobbed, cupping his face and pressing her lips desperately to his. He met her in a frenzy, breaths intermingling, tongues twining, mouths clinging for dear life. For long moments they kissed and she could almost believe this was just a horrible dream. Then he stiffened, shuddering.

She pulled back, eyes darting over his face. His eyes were shut, his body limp. “No. Please. Please don’t leave me. I love you.” She begged.

There was nothing. No snarky comeback. No ‘just kidding, I found a way to fix it because I’m the all-powerful Dark One’. Just silence.

She broke, falling over his body and soaking his suit with tears and letting despair take her.

Unbeknownst to her, they had had an audience all along.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment the Witch-Queen implied that something was keeping Rumpelstiltskin alive, Peter Pan dove into his son. He spread his consciousness out, searching for the link. What he found was a shining blue light in the space where Rumpelstiltskin’s heart used to be. Cautiously he entered the light, only to come upon the heartrending scene between Rumpel and his little love. Captivated, he watched it play out. Populating an island with only adolescent boys, a snarky pirate, and a fallen fairy didn’t provide much opportunity to observe the phenomenon of True Love. This moment was the first time he had encountered it.

He watched them kiss and whisper sweet nothings. He watched her offer to give her life for his son’s. He listened as his son pulled an explanation out of his ass to keep his true love alive. He was there for all of it.

Only when the girl curled up screaming in pain did Pan remember the reason he was here. Hurriedly he made his way out and back to his own body, coming to consciousness with a shudder. He was still knelt beside his son as before and he glared down at the body.

“Damn you Rumpelstiltskin.” He growled.

He rolled to his feet, pacing around like a caged animal and darting furious glances to the unresponsive form on the ground. 

“Damn you. Fine! You want to play the martyr? Well laddie, what fun’s a game you play by yourself?”

He ignored the wary, confused looks Baelfire and the others were giving him as he struggled to reconcile what he was about to do with the person he had always been.

He gathered himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He drew every ounce of power to him until it glowed in his mind like a shining ball. Then, he flung his arms out.

All his power fed through his arms in a golden stream, arrowing into his son’s body and making it jolt and dance like lightning shocks. Peter Pan screamed, his head falling back as the pure magic rattled his bones.

What are you doing? Stop this. This dismayed voice of the Shadow came to him but Peter ignored it.

Enough. He does not deserve life. We do. Eternal life and youth. It is ours.

Still Peter let himself be a conduit, groaning as his arms protested. The Shadow flew through the window, darting straight towards Pan and swirling around him. It drew the winds, roaring with gale force around them. It picked up the dirt, making a barren circle at Pan’s feet.

You are making a mistake. You will age. You will die. You will be weak and powerless. You will never fly again.

“Shut up!” He shrieked. “I let you take him from me once but I won’t let you do it again!” He convulsed as the last of the magic left him. At the end of its final tendril came, glowing and perfect, the heart of the truest believer.

Peter Pan fell to his knees with a thump, watching through patchy vision as his chance of eternal life made its way into his son’s chest.

“I win.” He sighed, smiling in triumph. With a muted thump his body hit the ground.

“No!” The Shadow screamed silently. It reached an impotent hand towards Rumpelstiltskin’s body just as the moon came out from behind the clouds. When the light hit the Shadow it suddenly shuddered, riddled with holes like it was hit with a machine gun.

“No! Give it back to us! No, no!” It screeched to no one.

Quietly, like steam dissolving in air, the terrible shadow dissipated. The air seemed to grow lighter and even the darkness seemed less oppressive. All was quiet.

“What the hell was that?” Emma whispered.

On the ground, brown eyes snapped open.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Belle mourned, alone in the mist and the silence but for the body of her true love. She had passed the point of wretched sobs and loud pleas for answers. Now she knelt, eyes shut, both hands cupping one of his, as lonely tears carved a path on her cheeks. 

All of a sudden a quake rocked the empty space, sending Belle careening forward onto Rumpel’s chest. Her time here must’ve been running out. Desperately she wrapped herself around Rumpelstiltskin’s body, not ready to say goodbye. For all she knew this was the last time she would ever see him. If circumstances in Neverland were as dire as they seemed it was likely he would be left behind, cold and alone without even a proper burial.

Again the place shuddered, growing hot and bright. She clenched her eyes shut, holding on with all her might. Thunder and lightning crackled around her. She covered Rumpelstiltskin with her own body, trying to protect him from whatever was happening.

Then, it stopped.

Cautiously she cracked one eye open, looking out and expecting to see Storybrooke. No. She was still in the nowhere place.

“Belle…” A tiny voice whispered. “Belle, you’re holding me too tight, I can’t breathe.”

She gasped, rocking backward with a jolt to see Rumpelstiltskin opening his eyes and watching her in amusement.

“Rumpel! You…you’re alive!” She sobbed, lunging and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Oh Gods, I thought I lost you!”

He held her tightly, pressing his lips to the crown of her head. “I know, I know love. I thought so too, but I’m here now. I’m alive. It’s okay.”

Eventually they parted and she helped him sit up.

“Oh Rum, I’m so happy, but how is this possible?”

“I won’t know for sure until I wake up. I do know I am definitely no longer dying.” He smiled, eyes shining. “You were right Belle. I will see you again.”

As soon as he said the words she could feel a change. It was like she was no longer quite there.

“Rum?” She asked, watching as her hands grew see-through. “What’s happening?”

He grinned. “It’s time for you to go home Belle. You’ve done your part here. I’ll follow you as soon as I can. Tell them we’re coming.” He darted forward, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before she disappeared completely. “I love you.”

She could feel her consciousness being pulled away like taffy through a small hole. The empty place began to fade at the edges, turning grey and then black until all she could see was Rumpel, standing tall and proud and watching her go with a smile.

“I love you too! Rum, I love you! Come home to me!” She cried out with her last breath.

“Rum!” She jolted upright, blinking in the light.

“Rum? You need a drink sister?”

She looked around at the crowd standing around her. She was on the floor of the library covered with a patchwork blanket that smelled like hamburgers. Archie and Ariel knelt beside her, concern all over their faces. Granny, Red, and the dwarves crowded close, all clamoring for explanations. The Darling boys stood quietly in a corner. They were all her friends, all dear to her, but there was only one person she couldn’t live without. Now she knew, without a doubt, that she wouldn’t have to.

“Belle? Are you okay?” Archie asked in that quiet way of his.

She smiled. “Yes. I’m okay.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the wake of Pan’s death and the Shadow’s defeat everyone seemed a little unsure of what to do as they lingered over Rumpelstiltskin’s body.

“I can’t believe it’s over.” Emma said, looking down at Gold with a hint of regret. He may have been a slippery bastard but he had given his life for Henry and that made him ok in her book.

“Yes well I can. I can’t wait to get off this godforsaken island.” Regina complained, brushing at her clothes in disgust.

Neal was silent, staring at his father’s body. Quietly Henry left Emma’s side, leaving his moms to bicker. He walked over to Neal and carefully slipped his hand into the much larger one of his father. Neal looked down at him in surprise. Henry didn’t really know what to say, so he didn’t say anything. Slowly Neal relaxed, holding tight to his son’s hand. He understood what Rumpelstiltskin meant about more time. He planned to make the most of it this time around.

A desperate gasp for air made Neal jump about a mile off the ground. Like someone coming out of deep water, Rumpelstiltskin jolted upward, taking deep breaths.

“Papa…” Neal whispered.

“Gold?” Emma exclaimed. “What?!” Regina gaped. They both rushed over, staring at the resurrected sorcerer. Henry was the first person to get over his shock.

“Grampa!” He yelled, throwing himself at Rumpelstiltskin and wrapping his small arms around his grandfather’s neck.

“Whoa there!” Rumpelstiltskin said, eyes wide with surprise and pleasure.

“Grampa, you’re okay!” Henry exclaimed, looking up at his grandfather with the simple pleasure of a child. “I’m so happy. Thank you for saving me but I didn’t want to be the reason you were dead.”

“Oh.” Rumpelstiltskin said in surprise. Cautiously he returned Henry’s hug, glancing at Emma as if to ask if this was okay. “I suppose not. Still…it wouldn’t have been your fault Henry. You know that right?”

Henry nodded against his chest. “Yes grampa. Thank you again.”

With a small smile he wrapped the boy tighter in his arms. “Anything Henry. Anything.”

“Can we go home now?”

Rumpelstiltskin chuckled. “Yes my boy. I would like that.”

Henry scrambled to his feet, helping Rumpelstiltskin up. Regina stepped forward, looking down her nose at him.

With a sardonic smirk, he gave her a little bow. “Your Majesty.”

“Hmph. Like I said, no one’s allowed to kill you but me.” Regina said, but a small smile gave the lie to her words.

Emma was much more straightforward. She clapped him on the back. “Welcome back Gold. Now let’s get out of here.” She turned on her heel, a natural leader, and began to stride towards the stairwell. Regina and Henry fell into place behind her. Rumpelstiltskin made to follow when a small voice gave him pause.

“Papa?”

He turned to face his son. Neal stood off to the side, staring at Rumpelstiltskin with guilt clear on his face. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets and his shoulders were hunched.

“Ba…Neal. Are you…okay?” Rumpelstiltskin asked, trying desperately not to offend his son again.

“Am I okay? You…you were dead. Are you okay?”

“Oh yes. All better now. Fit as a fiddle.” He said, thumping himself lightly on the chest.

Awkward silence fell between them, both looking anywhere but at each other.

“I’m sorry Papa.”

Rumpelstiltskin looked up in surprise to see Neal staring at him, eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Oh Bae…” Rumpelstiltskin said, face crumpling. In two long strides he stood before his son, wrapping him in his arms. Neal clutched him, hands fisting in the back of Rumpelstiltskin’s jerkin. “Oh son, no. I’m sorry. All of this, it was all my fault. If I had just been honest with you…”

“I should’ve trusted you papa. You…you almost died and my last words to you…”

“Shh, shh. It never happened. Bae, I know I have so much to make up for, but if you’ll just give me a chance…”

Neal pulled away, placing his hands on Rumpelstiltskin’s shoulders and looking him square in the eye. “You saved Henry. That’s all I need to know.” With one last squeeze, Neal released him, following after his son and the woman he loved.

Rumpelstiltskin smiled softly, not quite able to believe things were going the way they were. With a final look around he began to make his way out of Skull Rock. As he went he walked past Pan’s body. He paused, looking down at the remnant of his father.

He crouched, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out the little straw doll from so many centuries ago. He ran his thumb over its tiny blue coat, letting memory wash over him. Softly, slowly he placed it on Pan’s chest, a flower for the dead.

“Thank you…Papa.” He breathed.

With a grunt he rose to his feet, heels clicking on the stone as he left the cavern, his guilt, and his past behind and finally walked towards the future he wanted.


End file.
